Do French people speak faster than English?
One 2011 study from the Université de Lyon looked at 7 languages, which reported the order as Japanese (7.84 syllables per second), Spanish (7.82), French (7.18), Italian (6.99), English (6.19), German (5.97) and Mandarin (5.18).
In this case, our perception of certain tongues sounding 'faster' than others is backed by science. As we've already mentioned, Japanese is considered the fastest language in the world. It is always mentioned as the first on the list.
A recent report conducted by Euromonitor International for the British Council found that 57.75% of the French population had a basic understanding of English. So, contrary to popular belief, the French can speak English, but whether they choose to is another matter entirely.
Why are more people speaking French? French is spoken in many countries in Africa, which currently have some of the largest rates of population growth, and it's this that makes French one of the fastest-growing languages in the world.
English is very inconsistent when it comes to spelling and how it relates to pronunciation. French has a lot silent letters, which can be confusing at first, but once you know the rules, it's fairly consistent. (French is easier in this area) Both languages have sounds that are absent from many other languages.
1. Mandarin Chinese. Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. Mandarin Chinese is challenging for a number of reasons.
French. French is a language with one of the fastest speaking and reading rates. With a speaking rate of 5.02 syllables per second, equivalent to about 195 words per minute, the French language can speed through words via dropped syllables and abbreviating words.
In Paris you may speak your native tongue at home, at work and with your friends, but if you don't speak French, you definitely need to speak English. The chances that the shopkeeper on the corner speaks Portuguese, Japanese or Russian are slim to none.
The languages that takes the number 1 place in our list and therefore, the most spoken first language in the world is, by far, Mandarin Chinese.
You can survive without any French but of course your trip will be more memorable if you learn the very basic civilities. I'm going to France for the first time this June, and I don't really speak French. I know a few basics and some very polite phrases of asking how much, thank you and of course please.
Why is French the prettiest language?
The French language actually sounds romantic. It's a euphonic language, which means its pleasing to the ear, and linguists put this down to the accent and pronunciation including the vowel distribution, the soft consonants, and the rhythmic intonation of the language.
Even if English is the most spoken language in the world, Chinese has the potential to one day replace it, or at least gain a larger following in the years to come. A vein of gold that will play a decisive role in the next decades of the international economy and that you definitely don't want to miss.
The language of culture
French is the international language of cooking, fashion, theatre, the visual arts, dance and architecture. A knowledge of French offers access to great works of literature in the original French, as well as films and songs.
However, for many English speakers, Spanish is often considered slightly easier to learn than French. Here's why: Phonetics and pronunciation: Spanish has a MUCH more straightforward phonetic system, with consistent letter-to-sound correspondence, making it easier to pronounce words correctly.
In terms of grammar, French is less flexible than Spanish and learners will find it easier to learn a language with a regular grammar and regular patterns. There are a lot of other differences between the two languages but neither is easier than the other.
English is one of the most populous languages in terms of dictionary entries. The Oxford English contains over 200,000 words, with 171,476 active words and 47,156 inactive words. According to the dictionary Larousse, French has a vocabulary of 59,000 words. The dictionary Littré has 132,000 active words.
French is one of the easier languages to learn for English speakers. So, French is not too hard to learn for English speakers. And we have even better news for you. French made it to our ranking of the 15 easiest languages to learn for English speakers!
- Dutch. Dutch is one of the easiest languages for native English speakers to learn. ...
- German. Like Dutch, German is a Germanic language (obviously?) ...
- Norwegian. ...
- Danish. ...
- Swedish. ...
- Spanish. ...
- Portuguese. ...
- Italian.
Most students consider Mandarin the scariest language to learn due to various reasons. Mandarin's writing style and special characters are complicated since they do not use the Latin alphabet like the English Speakers. Also, the tonal nature of the language makes it difficult to speak.
If you are an English speaker, learning French requires 575-600 hours of study (or 23-24 weeks full- time). It is the same for other European Romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish etc) and the Germanic ones (Danish, Swedish, Dutch/Afrikaans Norwegian – not German).
Who speaks French the most?
People who are fluent in French are commonly referred to as "Francophones". With a population of 67 million, France has the largest number of French speakers in the world. It is also the country of origin of the language, and the country most commonly associated with French.
In Europe, French is an official language in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, making it widely spoken. Spanish is mainly spoken in Spain. For broader communication within Europe, French may have a slight edge, but both languages are highly respected and useful, especially in business and tourism contexts.
Article Talk. Paris syndrome is a sense of extreme disappointment exhibited by some individuals when visiting Paris, who feel that the city was not what they had expected. The condition is commonly viewed as a severe form of culture shock.
Travelling in France without speaking French is possible.
Not speaking French will not get you into any MAJOR problem. In case of emergency there will always be someone to help you. You can relax now.
Obtaining a visa is the first part of moving to France from the US. After that, there is a lot to do, from signing a rental contract to opening your French bank account. Make sure you go through the relocation checklist to be on top of everything before and after your move.
References
- https://www.berlitz.com/blog/is-french-hard-easy-to-learn
- https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/articles/is-the-french-language-the-future
- https://www.frenchyet.com/live-paris-dont-speak-french/
- https://global-exam.com/blog/en/general-french-should-i-learn-french-or-spanish-criteria-to-help-you-choose/
- https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/6-hardest-languages-for-english-speakers-to-learn
- https://www.translateday.com/most-spoken-languages-in-the-world/
- https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/studying-in-france/learning-french/
- https://lingopie.com/blog/is-french-or-spanish-easier-to-learn/
- https://www.languagebird.com/5-scariest-languages-to-learn-and-how-to-conquer-them/
- https://housinganywhere.com/France/moving-to-france-from-the-usa
- https://mangolanguages.com/resources-articles/what-are-the-easiest-languages-to-learn/
- https://thelanguagedoctors.org/which-language-has-more-words/
- https://thewordpoint.com/blog/what-are-the-fastest-spoken-languages-in-the-world-today
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_syndrome
- https://www.voices.com/blog/languages-in-usa-speaking-rates-per-minute/
- https://www.lingoda.com/en/content/french-speaking-countries/
- https://lifeinruralfrance.com/do-people-speak-english-in-france/
- https://www.languagesunlimited.com/english-vs-chinese-battle-of-languages/
- https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k1001461-Can_I_survive_in_Paris_with_just_English-Paris_Ile_de_France.html
- https://www.berlitz.com/blog/spanish-vs-french
- https://www.insightvacations.com/blog/most-romantic-language/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/French/comments/15l2lhx/which_language_is_more_difficult_to_learn_french/
- https://justfrenchit.com/traveling-in-france-without-speaking-french/
- https://www.private-frenchlessons-paris.com/blog/speak-french-fluently